Storm puts dampener on preparations for Lions, Cats

By Jon Pierik

7 March 2010 — 1:27pm

The Lions’ recruit of the summer, Brendan Fevola, has been hogging the headlines with "that" picture of Lara Bingle in the shower, but yesterday appeared to look unaffected in what became a brief warm-up before the storm hit and the match cancelled. Voss described the week as copping "a few body punches and a few to the chin".

"You’re going to cop a few on the chin from time to time, but you know you have to stand there and be able to fight back at some stage," Voss said. "That’s where we’re at.

"We’ve copped a few body punches and a few to the chin and for us, it’s now being able to stand there and fight back. That’s what we’ve got to be able to do."

Ironically, yesterday’s clash was transferred from Gold Coast to Melbourne due to a week of rain in south-east Queensland. Voss and Geelong coach Mark Thompson were disappointed with the lack of opportunity for their players to gain much-needed match fitness.

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Voss will ask the AFL for extra practice match or an intraclub practice match in the final week before the season starts onMarch 25.

The Lions will take on Hawthorn on the Gold Coast on Friday night in what was their last scheduled preseason practice match.

Yesterday’s match was supposed to be midfielder Simon Black and Josh Drummond’s first hitout for the season.

"Next week against Hawthorn is now critical and we have to look and see whether we can get an opponent for the following week or have an intraclub match so we can get the minutes into the players.

"The guys needed a freshen-up this week, so as it now stands, they really did get a freshen-up. But everything we do now has to be spot on. The urgency goes up for us.

"We’ve got Hawthorn next week and that becomes pretty critical.

"With the week off, we’ve either got to look at getting some opponents or having an intraclub match so we can get the game minutes in.

"It’s fair to say that we would be enormously stiff to be denied that opportunity. It would compromise quite severely our preparation for the season, because it’s getting to the pointy end right now.

"I’d be staggered if we didn’t get it particularly after this game was supposed to be in Queensland."

"[It would] compromise quite severely two teams’ preparations coming into the season. To be able to not have that, I would be staggered to say the least."

Thompson said the Cats would now play an intraclub match tomorrow to make up for it. "It was frustrating because we would have preferred to play," Thompson said.

"Having a game is really important for your preparation, but having said that, to have played under these conditions wouldn’t have been worthwhile. There was nothing to be gained."

He said injured defender Max Rooke would be sidelined until at least round two, while Joel Selwood was still on track for round one.

Thompson said the jury was out on the Cats’ experimental three pronged forward attack with mature age rookie James Podsiadly to be given another chance to impress in the club’s next hitout, before being marked down for round one.